Capsule assembly method and machine

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for assembling seed capsule halves formed of compressed vermiculite with cavities in each half cooperating to receive a seed before the halves are joined. The apparatus includes a roller and hopper assembly for providing a feed row of capsule halves that are randomly oriented. The feed row passes by a rotating probe that pushes capsules whose cavities face away from the probe into a row that forms capsule covers and allows capsule halves whose cavities face the probe to continue on to form a row of capsule bottoms. A vacuum drum singulator deposits seeds individually into the cavities of the capsule bottoms and the latter approach an assembly station that also receives the capsule covers with their cavities face down. At the assembly station a glue pump deposits drops of liquids on the capsule bottoms whereupon the capsule covers are superposed thereon and cam operated pressers squeeze the two parts together to complete the capsule. The conveyor that brings the capsule bottoms to the assembly station operates at a speed higher than that required to match the rate of cover input and means are provided to reject any excess of capsules before they reach that conveyor. The same conveyor also rejects broken capsule bottoms.

United States Patent [1 1 Brink et al.

[451 Mar. 19, 1974 CAPSULE ASSEMBLY METHOD AND MACHINE [75] Inventors: Edwin H. Brink, San Jose; Robert K. Houston, Santa Clara, both of Calif.

[73] Assignee: FMC Corporation, San Jose, Calif.

[22] Filed: Apr. 17, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 244,484

Primary Examiner-Robert L. Spruill Attorney, Agent, or Firm-A. J. Moore; C. E. Tripp CAPSULE \66 1 A0 HOPPER 4-2 l 5 7 ABSTRACT Apparatus for assembling seed capsule halves formed of compressed vermiculite with cavities in each half cooperating to receive a seed before the halves are joined. The apparatus includes a roller and hopper assembly for providing a feed row of capsule halves that are randomly oriented. The feed row passes by a rotating probe that pushes capsules whose cavities face away from the probe into a row that forms capsule covers and allows capsule halves whose cavities face the probe to continue on to form a row of capsule bottoms. A vacuum drum singulator deposits seeds individually into the cavities of the capsule bottoms and the latter approach an assembly station that also receives the capsule covers with their cavities face down. At the assembly station a glue pump deposits drops of liquids on the capsule bottoms whereupon the capsule covers are superposed thereon and cam operated pressers squeeze the two parts together to complete the capsule. The conveyor that brings the capsule bottoms to the assembly station operates at a speed higher than that required to match the rate of cover input and means are provided to reject any excess of capsules before they reach that conveyor. The same conveyor also rejects broken capsule bottoms.

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1. The method of forming a seed capsule wherein capsule halves in the form of discs with at least one disc having a cavity in only one face thereof are bonded together to provide a seed cavity and with a seed in the cavity; comprising the steps of forming the discs into two horizontal processing rows with cavities in one row facing up to form a row of capsule bottoms, and with the discs in the other row forming a row of capsule covers, singulating seeds from a hopper and dropping a seed into each capsule bottom cavity, depositing an adhesive on the cavity face of each capsule disc in one of said rows, continuously assembling capsule covers from said capsule cover row onto capsule bottoms of said capsule bottom row at an assembly station, squeezing the assembled capsule discs together to complete the seed capsule, said method further comprising the step of moving the row of capsule bottoms faster than the row of capsule covers, rejecting capsule bottoms that have not received a seed, and additionally rejecting capsule bottoms, with or without seeds, if the row of capsule bottoms with seeds leading to the assembly station reaches a predetermined maximum length.
 2. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of interruping the deposition of adhesive upon sensing a gap in the row of capsule bottoms approaching said assembly station, and restoring the deposition of adhesive after said row is again continuous.
 3. The method of forming a seed capsule wherein capsule halves in the form of discs having a cavity in only one face thereof are bonded together at their cavity containing faces with a seed in the resultant composite cavity; comprising the steps of: a. arranging the discs in a moving feed row with the disc cavities randomly oriented in a plane, b. removing all discs from said feed row which have their cavities oriented in one direction and forming the removed discs into a first processing row, c. allowing the remaining discs in the feed row to continue on as a second processing row, d. bringing the discs of said two processing rows into horizontal planes with the cavities in one row facing up to form a row of capsule bottoms and with the cavities in the other row facing down to form a row of capsule covers, e. singulating seeds from a hopper and dropping a seed into each bottom cavity, f. depositing an adhesive on the cavity face of each capsule in one of said rows, g. continuously assembling capsule covers from said capsule cover row onto capsule bottoms of said capsule bottom row at an assembly station, and h. squeezing the assembled capsule discs together to complete the seed capsule.
 4. The method of claim 3, comprising the step of moving the row of capsule bottoms faster than the row of capsule covers, rejecting capsule bottoms that have not received a seed, and additionally rEjecting capsule bottoms, with or without seeds, in the row of capsule bottoms with seeds leading to the assembly station of step (g) reaches a predetermined maximum length.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the discs in step (a) are disposed in a single vertical plane, and the disc removal of step (b) is performed by confronting the row of discs from one side by synchronized probe means that enters disc cavities without pushing on the discs but which pushes the discs whose cavities face away from the probe means out of said feed row to form the first processing row of step (b), and allowing the remaining discs to continue on to form the second processing row of step (c).
 6. The method of claim 3, wherein the adhesive deposited in step (f) is ejected as a plurality of spaced droplets onto the upper faces of the capsule bottoms.
 7. The method of claim 4, comprising the step of interrupting the deposition of adhesive upon sensing a gap in a row of capsule bottoms approaching said assembly station, and restoring the deposition of adhesive after said row is again continuous.
 8. Apparatus for forming a seed capsule wherein capsule halves in the form of discs having a cavity in only one face thereof are bonded together at their cavity containing faces with a seed in the resultant composite cavity; said apparatus comprising means for forming the discs into two horizontal processing rows with the cavities in one row facing up to form a row of capsule bottoms and with the cavities in the other row facing down to form a row of capsule covers, a seed droping station comprising a seed hopper at said row of capsule bottoms, means for singulating seeds from the hopper and dropping a seed into each capsule bottom cavity, means for depositing an adhesive on the cavity face of each capsule in said bottom row, an assembly station including means for continuously assembling capsule covers from said capsule cover row onto capsule bottoms of said capsule bottom row, and means for squeezing the assembled capsule discs together to complete the seed capsule.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said means for forming the discs into processing rows includes conveyor means for moving the row of capsule bottoms to said assembly station faster than the row of capsule covers enter said station, means upstream of said conveyor means for rejecting capsule bottoms that have not received a seed, and means for additionally rejecting capsule bottoms, with or without seeds, if the row of capsule bottoms with seeds on said conveyor means leading to the assembly station reaches a predetermined maximum length.
 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said seed singulating means includes a star wheel at said seed dropping station having capsule bottom receiving pockets, a fixed base beneath said star wheel, seed receiving funnels above said star wheel pockets, a reject gate in said fixed base, means for inspecting the seed dropping action, and means for opening said gate when no seeds are dropped.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, and additionally including a control wheel rotatable with said star wheel and having a finger for each star wheel pocket, sensor means actuated by said fingers, and control means triggered by said sensor means for operating said gate.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said reject gate comprises oppositely moving swinging gate halves, and rotating solenoids for operating said gate halves.
 13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said means for forming the discs into processing rows comprises a pair of conveyor chutes formed of widely spaced capsule disc guide rods for preventing clogging from capsule disc fragments.
 14. Apparatus for forming a seed capsule wherein capsule halves in the form of discs having a cavity in only one face thereof are bonded together at their cavity containing faces with a seed in the resultant composite cavity; said apparatus comprising means for arranging the discs in a moving feed row with the disc cavities randomly oriented in a plane, meanS for removing all discs from said feed row which have their cavities oriented in one direction and forming the removed discs into a first processing row, means for forming the remaining discs in the feed row as a second processing row, means for bringing the discs of said two processing rows into horizontal planes with the cavities in one row facing up to form a row of capsule bottoms and with the cavities in the other row facing down to form a row of capsule covers, a seed dropping station comprising a seed hopper at said row of capsule bottoms, means for singulating seeds from the hopper and dropping a seed into each capsule bottom cavity, means for depositing an adhesive on the cavity face of each capsule in one of said rows, an assembly station including means for continuously assembling capsule covers from said capsule cover row onto capsule bottoms of said capsule bottom row, and means for squeezing the assembled capsule discs together to complete the seed capsule.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the discs in said feed row are disposed in a single vertical plane, said means for removing discs from the feed row comprising cavity probe means movable with and confronting the row of discs from one side, said probe means being of a length that enters disc cavities without pushing on the discs but which pushes the discs whose cavities face away from the probe means out of said feed row to form said first processing row.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said probe means comprises a wheel rotatable in a horizontal means with circumferential spaced projecting probes that can enter the disc cavities without dislodging the discs, and means for driving said wheel so that the probes move with discs along said feed row.
 17. The apparatus of claim 15, comprising a ledge for supporting said discs along said feed row, a vertical chute having its mouth at one side of said ledge, means for confining the faces of the discs above said ledge, said probe means swinging the bottoms of discs off of said ledge and into said chute.
 18. Apparatus for forming a seed capsule wherein capsule halves in the form of discs and with a seed cavity in at least one capsule half are bonded together with a seed in the cavity to form a composite capsule; said apparatus comprising means for forming a row of capsule bottoms with their cavities facing up, means for depositing a seed in the cavity of each capsule bottom, means for forming a row of capsule covers, an assembly station comprising superposed and aligned star wheels, means for turning said star wheels together with the lower star wheel receiving capsule bottoms and the upper star wheel subsequently receiving capsule covers, means for dispensing adhesive to said bottoms before they enter said lower star wheel, and plunger means over said starwheel and downstream of the capsule cover entry position for pressing the capsule halves together.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said adhesive dispensing means includes electric operator means for said adhesive dispensing means, means for sensing the failure to feed capsule bottoms beneath said adhesive dispensing means, and control means for disarming said electric operator means in the absence of capsule bottoms beneath said adhesive dispensing means.
 20. The apparatus of claim 18, comprising a feeder star wheel running between said upper and lower star wheels, said adhesive dispensing means being above said feeder star wheel.
 21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said adhesive dispensing means additionally includes a control wheel turning in synchronism with said feeder star wheel and having fingers corresponding to the feeder star wheel pockets, and sensor means actuated by said fingers for operating said adhesive dispensing means.
 22. Apparatus for providing the cavity of every capsule member in a row of capsule members with a single seed or the like; said apparatus comprising a star wheel riding over a base plate, means for supplying the star wheel pockets with emPty capsule member, singulating means for normally depositing a single seed in each capsule member in the star wheel, a reject gate in said base plate downstream of said singulating means, photoelectric means for detecting failure of said singulating means to deposit a seed in a given capsule member, control means for opening said reject gate in response to the detection of a failure by said photoelectric means, and a discharge conveyor for receiving the seed containing capsule members and forming them into a row.
 23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein open mouth funnel members are mounted on said star wheel and above each of its pockets for receiving a seed from said singulating means.
 24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said reject gate comprises a pair of swinging gate halves, and rotary solenoids operating said gate halves and connected to said control means.
 25. The method of forming a seed capsule wherein capsule halves with at least one capsule half having a cavity in only one face thereof are bonded together to provide a seed cavity and with a seed in the cavity; comprising the steps of forming the halves into two horizontal processing rows with cavities in one row facing up to form a row of capsule bottoms, and with the halves in the other row forming a row of capsule covers, singulating seeds from a bulk supply of seeds in a hopper and dropping a seed into each capsule bottom cavity, fluidizing the bulk supply of seeds in the hopper, depositing an adhesive on the cavity face of each capsule bottom in one of said rows, continuously assembling capsule covers from said capsule cover row onto capsule bottoms of said capsule bottom row at an assembly station, and squeezing the assembly capsule discs together to complete the seed capsule.
 26. The method of forming a seed capsule wherein capsule halves are bonded together to provide a seed capsule with a seed confined between said halves; comprising the steps of forming the halves into two horizontal processing rows with the halves in one row being capsule bottoms, and with the halves in the other row forming a row of capsule covers, singulating seeds from a hopper under superatmospheric pressure by vacuum attachment and dropping a seed into each capsule bottom, depositing an adhesive on the face of each capsule half in one of said rows, assembling capsule covers from said capsule cover row onto capsule bottoms of said capsule bottom row at an assembly station, and squeezing the assembled capsule halves together to complete the seed capsule. 